Estepona Council has ordered the sealing of two quarries ion the banks of the Rio Guadalmansa on the grounds of having neither planning permission nor operating license. The actual closure order was made last October. One of the companies involved has been operating in the area for decades.
In addition to carrying out their work without the necessary licenses, the companies have also failed to fulfill their obligation to replenish excavated areas with new topsoil. Moreover, it is thought that the quarrying of aggregates is damaging the natural underground water channels which supply the town. The quarries are on land protected by the POT (Plan de Ordenación del Territorio)